The 22-time Grammy Award-winning country star Vince Gill knows his way around a vocal microphone. While the songwriter and performer has earned praise in early groups like the Pure Prairie League or as a solo artist or, more recently, when joining the Eagles after the death of Glenn Frey, Gill is one of the easiest superstars to plug into a song and have it soar.
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Case in point: Gill can sing with Dolly Parton and Kermit the Frog, as we’ll see below.
1. Something Special, Dolly Parton
This 1995 LP is the 33rd studio album by Dolly Parton. The work features seven new songs and three duets from Parton’s catalog, including “Jolene,” “The Seeker” and “I Will Always Love You.” It’s that third song that features Gill. Together Gill and Parton recorded the song and it hit No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The Country Music Association called it the Vocal Event of the Year. Gill opens the song over a piano, providing serene, pristine vocals to the classic heartfelt track.
2. Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Along with Revamp, Restoration is a tribute album, an ode to iconic performer Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Both were released in 2018. Together the collections boast names like Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, and Chris Stapleton. Two other names on the collection are the Eagles’ Don Henley and Vince Gill, singing the Elton John hit “Sacrifice.”
3. Kermit Unpigged
The 1994 comedy-music album from everyone’s favorite green felt frog, Kermit Unpigged showcases the Muppets at their best: lost and confused. They’ve found themselves in a recording studio and run into big names like Jimmy Buffet, Linda Ronstadt, Ozzy Osbourne, and, yes, Vince Gill. Together, Gill and Kermit sing “Daydream,” originally written by John Sebastian. The whole record is something of a parody of the MTV Unplugged series and the album’s cover is meant to look like Eric Clapton’s LP from the series. On the track itself, Kermit and Vince enjoy a little banter at the beginning of their song.
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4. Sundown, Richard Marx
The 2008 album from songwriter Richard Marx features a duet with Vince Gill on the Beatles’ song “And I Love Her.” The tense, dramatic song is driven by soft, yet propulsive percussion and an echoing guitar. Gill shines on the recording, putting a bit of a rasp on his otherwise golden light of a voice.
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